Activities of Angel DZHAMBAZKI related to 2016/2310(INI)
Legal basis opinions (0)
Amendments (30)
Amendment 13 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 12 a (new)
Citation 12 a (new)
- having regard to the June 2016 European Court of Auditors Special Report on the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia,
Amendment 29 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B
Recital B
B. whereas reforms and accession preparations are being hampered by political polarisation; whereas backsliding in some important areas can be observed; whereas democracy and the rule of law have been constantly challenged, in particular due to state capture affecting the functioning of democratic institutions and key areas of society;
Amendment 38 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C a (new)
Recital C a (new)
C a. whereas the rule of law, media freedom, regional cooperation and good neighbourly relations are key elements in the EU enlargement process;
Amendment 45 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D
Recital D
D. whereas a serious commitment by all political forces is required for the country to return to its EU integration path; whereas a new government needs to adopt and implement robust reforms and work towards strengthening the good neighbourly relations;
Amendment 47 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D a (new)
Recital D a (new)
D a. whereas (potential) candidate countries are judged on their own merits and the speed and quality of the necessary reforms determines the timetable for accession;
Amendment 56 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E a (new)
Recital E a (new)
E a. whereas regional cooperation and good neighbourly relations form an essential part of the country's process of moving towards the EU;
Amendment 58 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital F
Recital F
F. whereas bilateral disputes should be duly addressed in compliance with EU and UN standards and should not represent an obstaca constructive spirit as early as possible toin the opening of accession negotiationaccession process in compliance with EU and UN standards;
Amendment 67 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital F a (new)
Recital F a (new)
F a. whereas fighting organised crime and corruption remains fundamental to countering criminal infiltration of the political, legal and economic systems;
Amendment 80 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Welcomes the respect for fundamental freedoms shown at the elections of 11 December 2016; urges all political parties to accept its results in the interest of domestic stability and underlines their responsibility to ensure that there is no backsliding into another political crisis that might slow down the EU accession process; calls for a swift formation of a new government in order to make use of the mandate to carry on with necessary reforms and advance the country on its EU path; considers cross- party cooperation essential for addressing pressing domestic and EU-related challenges, amongst others improving the relations with EU and non- EU neighbouring countries;
Amendment 92 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Notes that the electoral process has improved, including the legal framework, voters’ lists and the media environment; hopes that the alleged irregularities and shortcomings, including voter intimidation, vote buying, abuse of public resources, will also be addressed effectively by the competent authorities in view of the local elections in May 2017; stresses the need for areiterates its view that ensuring separation of state and party activities, balanced media reporting and continuously updating voters' list are essential for holding credible elections; stresses the need for greater transparency and de-politicisation of the electoral administration in order to increase the public’s trust in future elections;
Amendment 103 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Expects the new government, in cooperation with other parties, to accelerate EU-related reforms; reiterates its support for the opening of accession negotiations, conditional on the progress of the implementation of the Przhino Agreement and the Urgent Reform Priorities; continues to be convinced that negotiations can generate much-needed reforms and positively influence the resolution of bilateral disputes, which should be resolved at the earliest convenience in order not to hamper the EU accession process;
Amendment 113 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Urges once again that the political will be shown to fully implement the Urgent Reform Priorities and the Przhino Agreement; calls on the Commission to assess, at its earliest convenience but before the end of 2017, the country’s progress on implementation and to report back to Parliament; while recalling that long overdue reforms need to be launched and implemented, supports the continuation of the High Level Accession Dialogue (HLAD) for systematically assisting the country in this endeavour; regrets that no meeting was held under HLAD and that there was little progress on meeting previous targets; draws attention to the potential negative consequences of further delays in the country’s accession process;
Amendment 123 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Urges all parties to demonstrate the political will to overcome the divisive political environment and re-engage in dialogue; emphasises again the key role of parliament in the democratic development of the country and as the forum for political dialogue and representation; calls for its oversight functions to be strengthened and for ending the practice of frequent legislative changes to laws and the use of shortened procedures for adoption, without sufficient consultation or impact assessment; urges the smooth operation of the parliamentary committees on the interception of communications and on security and counterintelligence, their unhindered access to the necessary data and testimonies in order to provide credible parliamentary control over relevant services; regrets that in the previous mandate of the parliament, the inquiry committee failed to deliver on political accountability over the illegal wiretaps because members of the main ruling party either did not participate in hearings or would not answer questions;
Amendment 130 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Notes some progress in reforming public administration including the steps to implement the new legal framework on human resources management; remains greatly concerned about the politicisation of public administration and that civil servants are subject to political pressure, intimidation and threats to their employment; urges the new government to enhance professionalism, neutrality and independence at all levels by implementing the new merit-based recruitment and appraisal procedure and by suspending the practice of transforming temporary contracts into permanent ones without open competition; stresses the need to complete the 2017- 2022 public administration reform strategy, including by making sufficient budget allocations for its implementation, and to strengthen relevant administrative capacity; recommends fair representation of all communities in all levels of the public administration;
Amendment 140 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Regrets the continuous backsliding in the reform of the judiciary and the lack of progress on previous recommendations or on the outstanding issues and the "Urgent Reform Priorities"; deplores recurrent political interference in its work including in the appointment and promotion of judges and prosecutors, as well as the cases of selective justice in certain high-profile and politically sensitive court cases; urges once again that the political will be demonstrated to progress in judicial reform including by improving transparency in the appointment and promotion procedures and by reducing the length of court proceedings; calls on the authorities to ensure the professionalism of the Judicial Council and the functional independence of the justice system as a whole;
Amendment 146 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Notes that the Special Prosecutor has raised the first criminal indictments concerning wrongdoings arising from the wiretaps; is concerned about attacks andthe political attacks and the administrative and judicial obstructions against her work and the lack of cooperation from other institutions; considers it essential for the democratic process to enable the Special Prosecutor’s Office to carry out thorough investigations in full autonomy and prolong its mandate till the alleged wrongdoings are fully investigated;
Amendment 155 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Remains seriously concerned that combating corruption is being undermined by political interference and that it remains prevalent in many areas and continues to be a serious problem; stresses the need to strengthen the independence of the police, the prosecution and the State Commission for the Prevention of Corruption (SCPC); calls for improving transparency in theand ensure merit-based selection and appointment of SCPC members; calls, as a matter of urgency, for efforts to be made to ensure the effective prevention and punishment of conflicts of interest and to establish a credible track record on high- level corruption, including asset recovery;
Amendment 161 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 a (new)
Paragraph 9 a (new)
9 a. Is concerned by the merging of media, political and government activities, particularly regarding public spending; strongly condemns the existence of unlawful links between economic, political and family ties in relation to the spending of public funds; calls on the government to adopt a legislative framework regulating conflicts of interest and making public the assets of persons occupying high state positions as an additional measure to fight corruption;
Amendment 164 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. Welcomes the fact that the legislative framework and strategies for fighting organised crime are in place; welcomes the dismantling of criminal networks and routes related to people smuggling, human trafficking and drug trafficking and calls for further stepping up the efforts in fighting organised crime; encourages further improvement of cooperation between law enforcement agencies and the strengthening of the powers and resources of the courts; considers it important to further develop the law enforcement capacity to investigate financial crimes and confiscate assets;
Amendment 171 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. Appreciates the continued efforts to fight Islamic radicalisation; welcomes the adoption of the 2013-2019 strategy to fight terrorism, which also defines the concepts of violent extremism, radicalisation, prevention and reintegration; calls for more cooperation between security agencies and civil society organisations (CSOs) and, local communities and religious leaders; further calls for continued monitoring of returning foreign fighters by security services and improve the capacity to detect and stop financial flows feeding terrorism;
Amendment 179 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12
Paragraph 12
12. Remains concerned about radical and unjustified public attacks on CSOs and foreign representatives by politicians and the media; deplores the use of targeted investigations and infringement of privacy by law enforcement agencies on CSOs opposing the government; is concerned about limited government commitment to dialogue and insufficient cooperation with CSOs at all levels; urges the competent authorities to include CSOs in policymaking in a regular and structured manner, structured and unbiased manner; calls on the authorities not to discriminate CSOs on any grounds such as political affiliation, religious views or ethnic composition; believes that freedom of assembly and association should not be denied to any group of people without a serious justification;
Amendment 189 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
Paragraph 13
13. Welcomes the adoption of the national strategy for equality and non- discrimination 2016-2020; is concerned about impartiality and the independence of the Commission for Protection from Discrimination and calls for a transparent selection process of its members; reiterates its condemnation of hate speech against discriminated groups; is concerned that intolerance against lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) people persists; reiterates its call for the Anti- Discrimination Law to be aligned with the acquis as regards discrimination on grounds of sexual orientation; underlines again the need to combat discrimination against the Roma, and to facilitate their integration and their access to the education system and the labour market; is concerned about the inhumane physical conditions and overcrowding in prisons, despite a significant increase in the prison budget; calls for increasing the state support to the Ombudsman's office and calls for respect of the Ombudsman's recommendations;
Amendment 208 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15
Paragraph 15
15. Reiterates that the interethnic situation remains fragile; is concerned about minorities representing less than 20% of the population, who are left outside the mainstream policy and decision-making process; believes that specific measures are needed in order to guarantee the rights and freedoms of all citizens and achieve social cohesion among the various ethnic, national and religious communities; urges all political parties and CSOs to actively promote an inclusive and tolerant multi-ethnic and multi-religious society and to strengthen coexistence and dialogue; believes that separation along ethnic lines in schools and segregated education has adversely affected social cohesion and integration of communities; reminds the government and party leaders of their commitment to fully implement the OFA and to complete its review, including policy recommendations; condemns any form of irredentism and any attempt to disintegrate different social groups;
Amendment 221 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16
Paragraph 16
16. Is concerned over freedom of expression and the media, the use of hate speech, political interference and pressure, including through government advertising; underlines the need to ensure full transparency on government advertising, in particular the spending of public finances, its recipients and contents; calls on the government to ensure that intimidation or violence against journalists is investigated and that those responsible be brought to justice; underlines the need for the sustainability and autonomy of the public service broadcast to ensure its financial and editorial independence;
Amendment 236 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18
Paragraph 18
18. Welcomes the maintenance of macro-economic stability but is concerned that unemployment remains high with very low labour market participation, especially among youth and women; is concerned that employment is heavily influenced by political affiliation and is often used for pressure and intimidation of citizens during election campaigns; further urges competent authorities to tackle long-term and structural unemployment, to promote economic policy cooperation, to better align education with labour market demands and to develop a targeted strategy on how to better integrate young people and women into the labour market; is concerned about the outflow of highly educated young professionals; strongly calls on the government to dedicate particular attention to improving the perspectives of youth;
Amendment 266 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20
Paragraph 20
20. Urges the authorities to strengthen the administrative and financing capacities in order to procure and implement EU funds properly and in a timely manner; notes with concern that the Commission has yet again reduced the IPA financial assistance by approximately EUR 27 millionis concerned about the findings of the Special Report of the European Court of Auditors of June 2016, which concluded that limited progress was made in strengthening the country's administrative capacity using IPA funds mainly due to the insufficient political will of the national authorities; notes with concern that the Commission has yet again reduced the IPA financial assistance by approximately EUR 27 million due to the inability of the government to deliver on necessary reforms in public financial management; calls on the Commission to include information about IPA support for FYRoM and the effectiveness of implemented measures in its reports, in particular the IPA support allocated to implementation of the key priorities and relevant projects;
Amendment 279 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21
Paragraph 21
21. Commends the country for constructive cooperation in addressing the migration crisis; recommends further actions to ensure capacities to combat human trafficking and migrant smuggling; calls for ensuring effective border management and welcomes the cooperation with neighbouring countries in dealing with the mixed migration flows;
Amendment 285 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22
Paragraph 22
22. Welcomes Macedonia’s continued constructive role in regional and international cooperation; commends the increased align and its participation in civil and military crisis management operations; believes that regional cooperation is an essential element win the EU foreign poaccession process bringing stabilicty (73 %); reiterates the importance of finalising the negotiations on a bilateral treaty with Bulgariaand prosperity to the region and should be a priority for the government; calls on the government to focus on transnational projects such as the Pan-European Transport Corridors, the railway link Sofia-Skopje and other infrastructural projects with Member States including border-crossing points; commends the increased alignment with EU foreign policy (73 %);
Amendment 300 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22 a (new)
Paragraph 22 a (new)
22 a. Notes that there are still open issues in relations with Bulgaria; reiterates the importance of finalising the negotiations on a bilateral treaty with Bulgaria based on the 1999 declaration; strongly encourages joint celebrations of events and figures of the common history; believes that the introduction of educational materials free of ideological interpretations of history and hate speech, the academic cooperation and the promotion of positive attitudes in young people towards their neghbouring countries will have positive impact and improve mutual understanding;
Amendment 303 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22 b (new)
Paragraph 22 b (new)
22 b. Calls on the authorities not to mistreat and violate the political, social and cultural rights of citizens of the country, who identify themselves as Bulgarians; regrets that Bulgaria is often negatively portrayed in media, history books and films sponsored by the government in Skopje, which damages the bilateral relations;